Beyond the rumour: building a football publication on credibility

The challenge

Football fans are surrounded by transfer rumours, anonymous insiders and speculation that spreads before anyone checks whether it is credible.

Unreliable accounts on X were presenting speculation as inside information, and reports from obscure sites were being repeated by bigger newsrooms without enough scrutiny. I wanted a publication that investigated the context behind the big stories and helped readers understand what was actually happening.

The strategy: context before noise

1. Build reporting around relationships

   I'd been in football journalism since the early 2010s, with contacts connected to clubs and player representation. I used them to understand developments beyond the public narrative, and kept growing that network.

2. Reconstruct the full story

   Big stories rarely come from one conversation. I combined source conversations, published reporting, timelines and analysis to connect developments that others treated as separate updates.

3. Cross-check before publishing

   One source was never treated as established fact. I checked reports against other sources and looked for overlap before deciding what to include and how to frame it.

4. Pair deep reporting with social-first publishing

   Alongside long-form pieces, the social plan mixed breaking news, exclusives, live match updates and quizzes, giving fans a reason to follow between big stories.

Selected reporting

Results

• An X audience of more than 50,000 followers.
• Strong social interest in deep dives like the Enzo Fernández piece and interviews like Salomon Kalou.
• A reputation for exclusives, built on source relationships and taking time to check a story.

What I learned

A publication doesn’t have to compete on speed alone if it can give readers a clearer understanding of the story.